Relating to Homosexuality in the Modern World

“Do It Because I Said So” – A Drashah from Parshat Kedoshim by Reuven Spolter

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few months ago, Julie Sherizen insisted that I read a book called, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, a wonderful book by Wendy Mogel, a child therapist living in California. Mogel combines Jewish wisdom with good parenting techniques to give parents tools to raise their children in a safe, nurturing home environment. One of the points she makes is that too many parents, in an effort to honor their children’s ideas and feelings, treat their children as equals and often end up negotiating with them instead of parenting them. When it’s time for your child to go to bed, especially when kids are younger, children’ natural instinct is to start bargaining. “But I’m not tired. None of my friends have to go to sleep this early.” The list goes on and on. And we, the parents, in the name of fairness, negotiate right back. “Yes you are tired, because I had to wake you up six times this morning before you finally got out of bed.” Big mistake, says Mogel. Parents, instead of establishing equality, need to establish authority. And, while not always appropriate, when a child asks, “Why do I have to?” sometimes the most appropriate response is “Because I said so.” When introducing the subject of ‫ – עריות‬forbidden sexual relationships, the Torah does something out of the ordinary, by giving us a rather extended introduction. God tells Moshe,

ordinances and statutes. In English, we use these two words interchangeably. What’s the difference between a Michigan State ordinance and a statute? I have no idea. Yet, the Torah chooses these two words carefully and deliberately. If so, what’s the difference between a ‫– משפט‬ an ordinance, and a ‫ – חק‬a statute? Rashi explains that ‫משפט‬ refers to a statute that humanity would have instituted had God not commanded us. While the Torah forbids us from stealing, we can readily accept and understand this rule as a fundamental principal of any functioning society. At the same time, ‫ חק‬refers to the types of commandments that have no easy explanation. The ‫ – יצר הרע‬the evil inclination, and the nations of the world wonder about us, “why should we keep these laws?” Yet, these commandments, like keeping kosher or not wearing wool and linen together, are ‫דברים שהן גזרת‬ ‫“ – המלך‬issues that are decrees from the King.” While this section of ‫ עריות‬deals with all types of forbidden sexual relationships, from incest to bestiality to adultery, Rashi’s comment, that the nations of the world question God’s laws, applies most today to one specific type of relationship that appears in our ‫.פרשה‬ About a month ago, you might have noticed that the rabbis on the Vaad submitted the following letter to the Jewish News. The letter states:

The very next week, a woman from Ann Arbor wrote the following response: I sat down to read the Jewish News and eat my lunch the other day, when a letter from the Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater Detroit left me unable to finish. This letter, opposing same-sex marriage, is written with a tone and message that is more representative of fundamentalist groups than that of a group of religious scholars. The letter claims that by granting marriage to same-sex couples, the “institution of marriage is now under attack.” My question is, who is attacking it? Does the fact that I desire to file joint tax returns with my partner and to share her health insurance policy constitute an “attack” on anyone or anything? Are Jews who have to work on the Sabbath in order to support our families “attacking” the sanctity of the Sabbath? Are Jews who choose not to keep kosher “attacking” the laws of kashrut? The analogy I am making with these scenarios is that there are many Jews who are born to, have to or choose to live a life that is not 100 percent in accordance with Talmudic law. Yet our actions do not infringe upon the rights of others nor hurt anyone. Does this characterize an “attack”? On the other hand, the actions of the Council of Orthodox rabbis taking a discriminatory stance on the issue and writing such a letter is hurtful and destructive. I recommend that the Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater Detroit choose its battles and words more carefully in the future. First of all, although the letter-writer claims that she finds the Vaad’s stance hurtful, let’s just review the language she uses in her letter, and let’s try and decide who’s attacking whom. She calls the rabbis – I guess that’s me – “fundamentalist,” “discriminatory,” “hurtful,” and “destructive.” It’s interesting that you can label someone who has the gall to disagree with you with these types of labels and then turn around and claim ignorance about an attack on the institution of marriage. I don’t know about you, but for the past few months, since the Massachusetts State Supreme Court decision instructing the State of Massachusetts to legalize gay marriage, I feel like I really have been under attack. From the media celebrating the direct flouting of state law in San Francisco, to a new fullpage article every week in the Free-Press extolling a wonderful, committed same-sex relationship, to the subtle but venomous influence of TV shows like “Queer Eye For the Straight Guy,” American culture and society tells me that I really am a destructive, hurtful and discriminatory fundamentalist. And it’s not just me – it’s every person who believes that in the fundamental truth of the Torah. So it’s you too – we’re all destructive, hurtful, discriminatory fundamentalists.

How are we supposed to react this controversy in America? There’s no way around it – it’s really in black and white in the Torah: we cannot condone a behavior that God condemns, no matter how contemporary or egalitarian or modern that behavior today seems. Moreover, I think that we, as Torahtrue Jews must speak out forcefully and unapologetically to promote the Torah’s moral values. I’m sorry that that woman from Ann Arbor couldn’t finish her lunch. But we cannot cower from her labeling and condone her promotion of an ideology that the Torah forbids. But let’s ask what’s really bothering us: society today believes that homosexuality is an inborn trait. You’re born that way, and there’s nothing you can do about it. If that’s the case, how can the Torah be so absolute? How can God create someone with a certain tendency, and then forbid that person, uncompromisingly and inflexibly, from acting on that tendency? Yet, if God didn’t create a yetzer hara (negative desire) for homosexuality, there would be no need to forbid it. The Torah forbids a behavior specifically because people are inclined towards it. Yes, there are people who feel they were born with a proclivity to homosexuality. But that doesn’t mean they must act upon their urges. Rather, the Torah commands them to withdraw, and sanctify themselves through that withdrawal. Let me go one step further. I consider people who have this inclination, and instead of following that urge and abandoning the Torah, choose to remain true to Torah, to be nothing less than heroic. Who else must combat not only a powerful desire, but also the societal message that their battle is a silly, anachronistic fight? While we can never condone a homosexual lifestyle, we must have great compassion and even admiration for individuals who demonstrate a willingness to cling to a Torah way of life despite tremendous personal, emotional and spiritual difficulty. The introduction to the ‫ עריות‬begins with God telling Moshe,‫“ – דבר אל בני ישראל ואמרת אליהם אני ה ' א-לקיכם‬Tell the Jewish people and say to them, I am Hashem your God.” Sounds good, but it kind of makes you wonder: who else would be telling us to keep His Torah? Why does God need to remind us who He is? Rashi answers this question by explaining that God does need to remind us of something. God tells us, ‫“ -- אני הוא שאמרתי בסיני אנכי ה ' אלקיך‬I’m that same God who you accepted as your King at Mount Sinai.” Remember that? ‫“ – מעתה קבלו גזרותי‬Now you must accept my decrees as well. You might like it, but you may not. You might understand them, and you may not. You might agree with them, but you might not. ‫.אני ה' א-לקיכם‬ I am God. Do it because I said so.